Loch Katrine

Over the Whitsun half term we holidayed in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.  It was the family’s first foray into Scotland and I was determined to sample loch fishing for wild brown trout, which are currently my favoured quarry.  The last time I visited Scotland and the Trossachs National Park was 20 years ago to walk the West Highland Way.  With our accommodation booked 5 months prior just outside of Aberfoyle, considered the gateway to the Trossachs, there was a plethora of good fisheries, quite literally right on our doorstep.  Loch Lomond and the Lake of Menteith being two venues within 20 – 30 minutes drive and both with a good reputation. However, it was almost mythical Loch Katrine, which was also right on our doorstep, that captured my imagination. 

At 13 km long, 1 km wide, with a surface area of 13 km2 and 40 km of shoreline Loch Katrine offers a huge range of fishing options.  While the water depth ranges to 153 m with an average of 63 m, the western portion of the lake contains plenty of shallower shelves around Black Island and Rubha nam Mult (originally a headland before the raising of the water level).  While only at an altitude of 113 m the loch is surrounded by a range of impressive peaks like Ben A’an (461 m), Ben Venue (727 m), Garradh (559 m), Maol Mor (694 m), Beinn a choin (770 m) Meall Mor (747 m), Stob an Duibhe (727 m), An garadh (714 m) and Meall Gaothach (606 m) to name a few.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to maximise the time I had to fish and given how exposed, wild and changeable the weather can be on large Scottish lochs like loch Katrine, which has a fetch of 9 km, I decided a days guided fishing without the kids was my best option.  Mike Kreis from Fish Loch Katrine not only runs the fishing operation on the lake but also offers guiding services.  The date was set and we planned a mixed day of fly fishing for brown trout and deadbait fishing for pike (May is a good time to pike fish at this legendary fishing venue).  The evening before the agreed fishing day the weather forecast was not great, with winds of 48 km/h forecast gusting to much more.  Fortunately, the days fishing could be delayed by a day which turned out to be quite settled with just enough of a breeze to create a small ripple but with little cloud was very bright precluding any surface action.  Mike recommended a floating line with a 3 fly cast – a weighted black humungous on the point and two traditional Scottish loch flies on the droppers, a Zulu and a Kate Maclaren.  We set off from the Glengyle boat house late morning with a view to fish into the evening and target the evening rise. Glen Gyle being the birth place of Rob Roy MacGregor.  Heading east along the north shore a ways we explored the many points with overhanging trees and sheltered bays, especially those where a burn or river flowed into the loch. While I fished Mike expertly guided the boat with oars along the twisting shoreline. While the water levels were down 6 ft, a symptom of the dry winter, changing the fishing landscape it did not affect the fishing as Mike’s knowledge of the underwater structure and obstructions even in low water levels was amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The going was slow at first but once I moved from a slow figure of 8 retrieve and started mixing the retrieve up with a mixture of slow and quicker strips I was into my first fish, a small silvery brownie with very few spots.  With the blank out of the way I settled into a rhythm and it wasn’t long before brownie number 2 was in the net.  The Clan MacGregor burial ground, raised and restored by Glasgow Corporation in 1922 to prevent it being submerged by the raising of the water level, sticks out from the bank, like a promontory, and immediately looks like a prime location for a lurking brownie.  On the far side, Allt a choin flows into the loch and expectation of a take was high despite the French tourists swimming in the lake adjacent to the burial ground.  Avoiding the dead tree in the deep channel formed by the river mouth my second cast struck gold.  From the outset it was evident that this was a bigger fish and keeping it out of the dead tree required some careful pressure guiding it towards the eastern bank.  After a few minutes it was clear that the rod was not controlling the fish and it wasn’t tiring.  On a run towards the boat it emerged that I had foul hooked the fish just below the dorsal fin.  I had obviously missed it on the Zulu but snagged it with the humungous when striking.  Guiding the fish along the boat Mike scooped it with the net, revealing what would turn out to be the best fish of the day and a cracking brownie.  A slice of good fortune but the way I see it you have to take the rough with the smooth and I have lost my fair share of fish that were nearly in the net – if it is in the net then it is a fair catch.  It was a wonderfully coloured brownie with yellow belly and beautifully speckled flanks, a real contrast to the first fish of the day.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling peckish we headed off for the shallows near Glen Gyle house and setup a 7 rod spoke like array around the boat all baited and tucked into a lunch of smoked salmon on fresh bread rolls and waited for the pike.  En route we stopped to chat to one of the pike season ticket holders and it had been a tough morning with only one small run and no fish to show for his efforts.  Unfortunately, our luck wasn’t much better and it was not the day for pike and several hours passed without event, but then that is the way it goes sometimes, its called fishing and not catching for a reason.  Pike rods stowed, we headed back up the shore a ways and resumed trout fishing heading back towards the boathouse fishing waters we had skipped past in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The afternoon session started slowly like the morning but quickly picked up with the third and fourth fishes of the day coming within 5 minutes of each other.  The third was picked up on the Kate MacClaren over a shallow weedbed (almost like a lawn) and was a wonderfully greeny yellow colour with vibrant spots. I had missed the fish on the first take but cast back into the same spot and luckily the fish had a second bite at the cherry.  I didn’t miss on the second occasion.  The fourth was a matter of 10’s of metres down the shore near where a tiny burn entered the loch and was a stunning yellow with large brown spots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brownie five came a little ways before the boathouse and was a long thin silvery brownie with loads of small but vivid spots.  Like almost all the other fish it too came to the all black humungous.  The final brownie of the day came 50 m the other side of the boathouse along a particularly wooded section of the shore.  We saw it rise right next to the bank, probably feeding on insects dropping into the water from the woodland right at the water edge, possibly grannom which were in evidence all along the shore and the boathouse, and I cast just in front of the ring it left behind. In a flash I was into what would be the final fish of the day.  It too was a very different colour to all the rest caught that day being a more brown colour with a few large spots.  With the brown trout being territorial, these different micro-habitats seem to produce a wonderfully diverse array of colouration.  While all fish caught were released, Mike noted that the flesh of the fish can vary greatly too with some a lovely pink and others being almost white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to finish the day off with another quick try for pike and moored up off the main channel entering the loch just east of the old road that was submerged when the water level was raised.  The remnants of this road and the foundations of the bridge across the river were clearly visible with the water level being so low.  Despite another hour of waiting the pike were nowhere to be seen.  On returning to the boathouse pike season ticket fisherman who had invested the whole day had likewise had little luck, catching three pike between them.  This, however, did not take the gloss off of a wonderful days fishing where I had caught plenty of brownies on a glorious loch.  I can whole heartedly recommend a days guided fishing with Mike on Loch Katrine as I had a fantastic day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While on this occasion I decided to fish without the kids there is so much to see and do at Loch Katrine that I have included some of the things we enjoyed or were keen to try while in the area. These might present some things for the family to do while you are of fishing 

Child friendly things to do while at Loch Katrine:

1. Take a cruise on the Sir Walter Scott Steamship or a tour of the lake on the Lady of the Lake
2. Rent a bike and cycle along the private road to Stronachlachar from Trossachs Pier (and catch the boat back)
3. There are two walks that are also well worth doing
4. Have tea or lunch at the Stronachlachar Pier Café or Brenachoile Restaurant at Trossachs Pier

Child friendly things to do that are nearby:

1. See the Aberfoyle Ospreys in the wildlife room at the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre between May and September
2. Have a zipwire and treetop adventure at the Go Ape course at the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre
3. Take a slow drive around the three lochs forest drive and stop to take in the views and do some of the walks en route. We can recommend the Loch Drunkie circular route.
4. Walk or cycle at Loch Ard.  The Lochan Spling walk is a lovely circular route with a number of geocaches that turns the walk into a real adventure.

Tight lines

Greg